2 Small Issues: Boot-Splash & Window Decorations

[DaddyX3]

wow looks like my suggestion was WAAAAY too simple... oh well sorry if i wasted your time

You should never apologize for the content of your assistance. Any and ALL recommendations or tips are welcome in this forum. Do not underestimate the advise you give, sometimes its the simplest that works ... not the most complicated. This goes for everything in life. Engineers have played this game for ever.... "the simplest is always the best design"

[cowboy]

Daddy is so right on this one..this is a true story..A tractor trailer rig, was hitting the side roads avoiding the scales..went under a to low of a overpass and became lodged real good. Two tractor wreckers couldn't dislodge it, after a good deal of time and several bystander now..a 13 year old boy said to the H.P, Officer "why don't you let the air out of the tires" ..problem solved! Thanks for your help..

[Baphomet]

wow looks like my suggestion was WAAAAY too simple... oh well sorry if i wasted your time

Wasted MY time?? Please... Every suggestion is always appreciated. It's the simplest solutions that are the easiest to overlook. I don't know why it is that Gutsy gives me such headaches but I've determined it's not the release for me. Ultimate Edition 1.7 is the best I've ever had Gutsy perform for me but I could write a book on the work arounds and fixes it needs to work for me.

[cowboy]

The more I have been researching your problem..and know you have also...could it not be hardware related?

[LeadFingers]

The more I have been researching your problem..and know you have also...could it not be hardware related?

I think you're on to something there!
I have 3 systems (desktops) that have never had an issue with the splash screen but a few others (friends & family also desktops)
I've had to disable the splash just to get it to load the live DVD, after installation also no splash.
Same monitor/monitors, so not an issue.

It seems most of the boxes with splash issues are intel, running non-Nvidia graphics, with less than 1Gb of ram. (at least on my end)

[Baphomet]

The more I have been researching your problem..and know you have also...could it not be hardware related?

I think you're on to something there!
I have 3 systems (desktops) that have never had an issue with the splash screen but a few others (friends & family also desktops)
I've had to disable the splash just to get it to load the live DVD, after installation also no splash.
Same monitor/monitors, so not an issue.

It seems most of the boxes with splash issues are intel, running non-Nvidia graphics, with less than 1Gb of ram. (at least on my end)

Well yes, I'm pretty firmly convinced it's a hardware "issue" of some sort. I'm about to blow Leadfinger's streak though, since I'm using an AMD proc, nVidia and have 2GB. I was under the impression the so called nVidia "black screen of death" was somewhat common, actually, and I think (think!!) it is related to the 8800 or 8000 series of cards; but then Lead' says he's seen it with "non-nVidia" GPU's, so go figure.

I know the issue can be resolved, I just don't remember how. And it seems like it was a combination of things that I had to do. Getting past it is no problem (just remove "splash" or change it to "nosplash") but the sucky thing is not HAVING a splash-screen. Often times changing the resolution to match the native resolution puts things to right, but not always.

I've often said I'm a "2 Per Cent-er"; meaning if it works for 98% of the population, I'll be in the 2% of the population it does NOT work for. C'est la vie, non?

[LeadFingers]

I got a TNT2 PCI card I could send you.
That would solve your problems!

[TheeMahn]

I am sure you will appricate this...

I went through similar, framebuffer was my enemy, although I certainly enjoyed it. Minus gui, I have posted this in admin section, I am fairly sure you have dabbled in this dept. What crushed me was 2 things 1 nvidiafb and the second looking for 1680 x 1050 usplash (does not exist currently). Perhaps I am talking bs, but perform these steps and I will shut up (once complete)...

1. change usplash.conf to no higher then your monitor supports 1680 did not hit me there

set x and y

2. nano (cant remember where it is now in modules i think vesafb resides there #nvidiafb and use vesafb, remove vesafb, comment nvidiafb, blacklist nvidiafb) - I will come back & hit this

3.

Code: Select all

sudo update-initramfs -u -k all -v

<<- this is correct, but have to have step 2 set.

If I have time I will remove the black cloud...

[Baphomet]

I got a TNT2 PCI card I could send you.
That would solve your problems!

Great, I need another door stop! I recently stepped on my MX400 and now when the wind picks up, the door slams shut...

You want to hear a REAL hoot? In order to get the lastest version of Hefty Hairball installed I had to REMOVE my DVD-RW and swap it with a DVD-ROM (!!). Yes, you read that correctly. I'm not the only one either, not by far... I found that solution on the Forums. I couldn't even get a LiveCD running from the 'burner; instead I got dumped to a shell at every turn until I swapped out the drive for the straight-up ROM drive. Lucky for me, I squirreled away a 4x DVD-ROM from the very first computer I ever owned (about 12 years ago), a Compaq Presario something or other and had that drive still floating around in my mysterious Box O'Computer Parts. And too think how many times that drive has hovered over the trashcan only to be put back in the box.

I know it's still in Beta, but dear gawd I hope they get that worked out before releasing the final version of 'Hairball. I can't believe how sometimes I have to stupid-up my PC to get Ubuntu to run.

I am sure you will appricate this...

I went through similar, framebuffer was my enemy, although I certainly enjoyed it. Minus gui, I have posted this in admin section, I am fairly sure you have dabbled in this dept. What crushed me was 2 things 1 nvidiafb and the second looking for 1680 x 1050 usplash (does not exist currently). Perhaps I am talking bs, but perform these steps and I will shut up (once complete)...

1. change usplash.conf to no higher then your monitor supports 1680 did not hit me there

set x and y

2. nano (cant remember where it is now in modules i think vesafb resides there #nvidiafb and use vesafb, remove vesafb, comment nvidiafb, blacklist nvidiafb) - I will come back & hit this

3.

Code: Select all

sudo update-initramfs -u -k all -v

<<- this is correct, but have to have step 2 set.

If I have time I will remove the black cloud...

Thank you sir! There are a couple things in there I have not yet tried. I'll give them a go. I'm getting used to not having a splashy, but it would be nice to have it back.

[drama]

Second issue I'm having is that my Window Decorations disappear if I have Compiz running at full steam (meaning I select "Custom" or "Full" from the Appearance/Visual Effects menu. Any setting I choose higher than "Normal" makes the Window decorations disappear. I just want my windows decorations to follow the system theme; no more, no less. If this is Emerald-related I swear by all I hold sacred I will rip Emerald from my system so that it never sees the light of day.

this is because for some retarded reason they keep changing the code in the compiz file. it used to autostart emerald if it was present on the system. but now they removed that part of the code.

now it just says

decorator""
decorator args""

actually if you go through that file now you will notice alot has changed. for instance the blacklist pcids and driver whitelist is gone. anyway on to fixing your problem.

run the following

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sudo gedit /usr/bin/compiz

look for where it says

decorator""
decorator args""

add emerald between the "" for decorator and --replace between the "" for decorator args

then save it. this is what i had to do. hell even adding emerald --replace in ccsm had no effect until i add the above to the compiz file. it may or may not do the trick for you. this will make emerald autostart when compiz does.

Seems to me I have posted about this first problem before, but now I can't find the relevent posts.

Issue one is, I don't get a boot-splash using Ultimate Edition 1.7 64bit. I had to edit menu.lst and remove "quiet" and change "splash" to read "nosplash" to get things up and running. I was hoping that maybe it was a driver-issue but the restricted driver has been installed and the problem persists. It sticks in my mind there's an easy fix for this, but damn if I can remember what it is. Funny thing is, Hardy Heron gives me a boot-splash now, when before, plain-vanilla installs of Ubuntu never would. Ultimate has always shown boot-splashes in the past, and now it won't... It's like some kind of bizarre curse!

I'm open to suggestions because booting, sans boot-splash, sucks.

its not a curse. the ubuntu devs screwed it up jus before gusty went final. rumor has it they still havent managed to fix it in hardy either but i cant verify.

try the following tho. always works for me.

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sudo gedit /etc/usplash.conf

change

1280
1024

to

1024
768

save it. then do the following

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sudo dpkg-reconfigure usplash

wait for it to update.

then

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sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

add quiet splash back to the kernel boot line. save it.

reboot & hope it worked.

this trick has worked for me every single time. as well as several others. i do know it dont work for everyone. if it doesnt work you may have to do some hunting as idk how everyone else (the ones this trick dont work for) fixed it.

cheers

-drama

wow looks like my suggestion was WAAAAY too simple... oh well sorry if i wasted your time

as everyone else has stated. you should nvr think that you have wasted anyones time. the way i see it even suggestions that dont work shouldnt be considered as a time waster. all suggestions are always welcomed on this board. even if its a totally off the wall idea.

the reason why i suggested what i suggested tho is because for some crazy reason fusion-icon doesnt work for me at all. gives some retarded error when ran from terminal. "blah blah blah something or other this isnt gonna work" cant remember the exact error jus remember it saying this isnt gonna work so i had to edit /usr/bin/compiz. yes i can just start compiz then do emerald --replace but then i cant close or do anything with that terminal w/o losing my decorations.

but nvr be worried about giving suggestions. sorry if it sounded like i was putting you out a lil bit.

cheers

-drama

p.s. @Baphomet

its actually manifested itself in different ways on different hardware. with some hardware its as simple as doing the fix i posted. then on other hardware its takes much more. yet with other hardware its not yet fixable. i think thas why the devs have had so much trouble fixing it. its fixed in hardy for some ppl but not for others.

hell believe it or not both of my boxes are identical right down to the monitor. but weird enough my main box has the problem almost everytime i reinstall but its only happened a few times with my test box. of course the fix always works. what im saying is it doesnt happen on every install. but its mind boggling how it doesnt happen on every install i do. this makes me think that its something with the installer especially since i always have a usplash on the live cd/dvd.